Beet topper



Dec. 19 1922 F. Pbc'ocmg. BEET TOPPER. FILED MAR. 11, 1921. 2 SHEETSSHEET l INVENTOR BY hz. M

A TTORNEY F. POCOCK.

Dec. 19 1922. 1,439,187

BEET TOPPER. FILED MAR, 11. I921. 2.5HEETSSHEET 2 EMMA P f INVEN T'OR Patented Dec. 19, 1 922..

aK t -s 1,439.18? eatanr @tFtFt-QE. i

FRANK rooooK, or sAL'r LaKnorrY, UTAH.

BEET TOPPER.

Applicationifiled lvlarch 11, 1921 Serial No. 451,474.

" new and useful Improvements in Beet Top.-

pers, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to beet topping machines, and has for its object to provide a machine to engage the foliage of beets which have been loosened in the soil between a pair of traveling chains and by saidengagement to convey the, beets to a f position between two other traveling chains and While the foliage is still ,held by the first chains the bodies of the beets are individually moved bythe adjusting chains to atopping knifeand each beet topped at the desired place relative to its top and bottom. i These objects I accomplish with the machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar letters and numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, and as described in the specification forming a. part of this application, and pointed outin the appended claims.

In the drawings in which Iv have shown a'substantial embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine; parts cut away. Figure 2 is a side 'elevation ofthe machine,'parts cut away. Fig ure 3 is a vertical section of the bearing for the front end of the adjusting chains. Figure 4' is an edge view and end elevation of one of the links of the adjusting chains. Figure 5 is an edge view and end elevation ofone of the links of the elevator chains.

Figure 6 is a rear end elevation of the machine. parts omitted and parts cut away. Figure 7 is a plan in detail of the knife moving mechanism.

One of the difficulties to be overcome in topping beets has been and is to top-each beet at such place relative to the foliage and body as will remove the useless top and none of the body of'the beet from which body hanging fromfsaid chains, which are of speclal design, to another pair of coacting chains, which last'mentioned chains are also of special design and construction, and which will also engage the foliage at or near the top of the body and contacting with the body will move the beet downwardly while it is being'moved' by the first mentioned chains toward and to the topping element, which in the present inven tion s a rotary serrated disk. All of the beets will'be topped at a predetermined distance from the bottom of the foliage.

The present invention consists ofa rectangular frame A which is mounted on the axle of traction wheels B and the swivel wheels C. The axle D. .is journalled in each ofsaid wheels Band between each of said wheels and the portion of the said frame A adjacent are operatively carried the spur gears 1. A horizontal'shaft 2 is journalled on said frame Ato the rear and above the said axle D, and on said shaft 2 are secured the pinion gears 3, w ith a portion formed asone part ofa clutch, and which pinions each mesh with its respective spurgear 1. The other portion ofthe clutch is splined on the said shaft'2 in order thatthe shaft 2 may be operatively connected with said pinion gears 3. and thereby with the, traction wheels. 'A handle'ver 41 is provided to operate said clutches; On said shaft 2 are secured the bevel gears 4, the

teeth of which mesh with the teeth of bevel "pinicns5. The said bevel pinions 5' are each ings 4:0 which are fastened to the vertical portions or legs of a frame or yokejF. Above the said bevel pinions 5 and on each of said shafts 6 issecu'red a sprocket wheel 7-, and between one of j the said sprocket wheels 7 and one'of sa1d pinion gears 5 18 secured a,

largersprocket wheel 8. Theelevator frames G are fastened at an'incline to said frameQF and to braces 15 and 29;;with the front portion of said elevator frames carried: and operated bysuitable -mechanism which is not new and is not shown but is carried on the front portion of said frame A. Thesaid' frame or y'ok F i PiVQtsd on said-shaft '2 and is given an inverted U-sha pe. In brack ets .llwhich are fastened on said elevatorframes G are journalled the short vertical shafts 9, each of which has secured thereon a sprocket =wheel 10, and on each ofsaid sprocket wheels which are carried by said frames G. The said T-shaped angle irons 13 are rigidly held in spaced relation to each otherby the inverted lJ-shaped braces 12,

this construction allowing the foliage of the beets to pass between said elevator frames. Between said angle irons 13 and the f at bar 34 below them is carried one lead of the elevator chains 16, each of which is made up of links. Spring-held chain-tightener wheels 1e are mounted between the leads of said adjusting chains to cause them to gripthe foliage and top of the beets more tightly. The rear portion of said elevator frames G with the supporting yoke or frame F -d all of the topping mechanism is pivoted on said shaft 2 in order that the mesh of the gears and chains with their sprockets will remain in mesh and constant. Chain belt tightener wheels 70 of the sprocket type are journalled between the angle irons 1 3 and the flat bar 34 to regulate the tension of the said chains 16. i 7

As sugar beets are grown in different soils the foliage in some patches of beets will be found rank and the bodies of the beets growing high out of the soil while in other patches the beets grow low in the soil, and in topping the beets grown high in the soil the cut must be somewhat below the crown of the beet as beets grown under those conditions will'have foliage covering this crown while with beets grown low in the soil the foliage will be less rank and practically the foliage will'not cover much of the crown, and in orderto top beets grownnnder the different conditions I provide two; adjusting mechanisms in my topper. The first one is by means of the adjusting chains 1.1 operated over the sprocket wheels '7 and 1,0, which chains are to be operated parallel with the ground andat an angle to the elevator chains 16, which are operated in. the frames G; The front portions of the said chains 1-1 are below the medial portions ,of the said chains 16, as shown in Figure 2. The said chains 11 are made up of links shown in Figure ,4, Each link has a beet engaging blade 17 integral with one side of the link, and carrier lugs 18 integral withthe opposite side of said link. Thebhains 16 aremade up of links and each link has lugs The front end of the elevator frame G is lowered until the foliage hooks 24 are near the ground and in front ofthe digging plow of any of the devices now on the market for digging beets. The two foliage hooks 24: are secured on the front end of said frame G to engage and raise the free end portions of the foliage and direct said foliage between the chains 16, and with the said lugs 39 engaging and gripping the foliage. The digging elements loosen the beets in the ground and the beets are drawn out of the loosened soil by the upward travel of said chains in their respective frames, and said beets are carried by the foliage with their bodies suspended, and when the individual beet is brought between the adjusting chains 11, the foliage will be engaged by the blades 17, and from that time until the beet is topped its foliage will be engaged by both link chains. The lug ei'igagement of the foliage by elevator chain 16 will be the greater, and as the two chains 11 and 16 gradually diverge the beets will be gradually raised and the blades 17 of the lower or adjusting chain 11 will slip in and on the foli- I where the topping. will be effected. if all of the beets should have rank foliage the said blades 17 would engage the body of the beet at the bottom of the foliage although some of the beet body will extend above that line and form a crown which has no value as to sugar contents, and with beets having vrank 1 foliage there is nodanger of the foliage being pulled out ofthe carrier chains 156 before they are topped, but with beets having less and shorter foliage the topping must take place before the two engagements are broken by the divergement of the chains, and to prevent this the operatormust move the topping knife forward which is doneby moving the said support21 forward, and

thereby the sprocket Wheel 18an 1 knife 19-Wi11 chain will be the be advanced and top the beet while engaged by both chains. Thespring held idler pulleys 3O allow said adjustment of the sprocket chain 31 without interfering with the' travel i of the chain 31, or the movement of the knife 19. The two coacting chains 11 begin to diverge in their line of travel a short distance behind the topping point and the foliage will be carried up and released from the upper end of the elevator chains and may be directed to one side of the machine,

while the topped beets will fall in a row, or beheld in suitable receptacles and dumped in piles.

I thus provide new and novel elevator chains having foliage engaging lugs which will engage the foliage but not to the extent of preventing the foliage from beingslipped y between said chains, and with new and novel adjusting means to engage the body ofthe beet and thereby slip the foliage between the elevator chains and bring all of the beets Having thus described my invention and,

its operation I' desire to secure byLetters Patent and claim v 1. In a beet topper the combination with traction wheels, of a frame having one end thereof supported by said wheels; a shaft. rotatable by said wheels; an elevator frame pivoted at one end on said shaft; elevator chains carried in said elevator frame and each chain consisting of links; lug pins integralwith each of said links to engage the foliage of the beets; an inverted U-shaped frame pivoted on and supported by said shaft; vertical shafts journalled at their lower ends in bearing vsupports carried on the first mentioned shaft, and other bearings for said shafts carried onsaid U-shaped frame; gears to impart motion from said first mentioned shaft to said vertical shafts; sprocket wheels on said vertical shafts; other sprocket wheels journalled on said ele: vator frame; horizontally operated sprocket chains carried on said'sprocket wheels, and each chain consisting of links having integral blades thereon to engage the bodies of beets carried by said elevator chains; and

a horizontally movable topping knife mounted for rotation below said horizontally operated chains. i r

' 2. 'A beet topper comprising an inclined elevator frame; coacting elevator chains carried in said frame; lugs on each of said chains to engage the foliage of beets and thereby move the beets upsaid inclined elevator; a pair of meeting adjusting chains horizontally disposed and operated, each chain conslstlng of links having integral blades thereon to engage the bodies of the beets'as theyare moved by said inclined chains to bring the beets to a common level;

and means to topsaid beets as they are moved horizontally by said last mentioned chains. 7

8. A beet topping machine comprising two coacting adjusting chains operable over sprocket wheels, each chain consisting of links having carrier lugs on one face to en gage the rims of said sprocket wheels and .tightener wheels, and transverse blades on the other face to engage the foliage and bodies of the beets.

a. A beet topping machine comprising coacting elevator frames, each frame consisting of spaced apart angle irons, and a flat bar below and spaced from said angle irons; inverted U-shaped braces having the leg portions fastened between said angle irons;

sprocket wheels mounted in said frames; sprocket chains operable over sa d wheels, each of said chains consisting of links having lugs extended from one face and carrier lugs extending from the other face.

, 5. A beet topping machine comprising coacting elevator chains operable on inclined frames, each of said chains consisting of links having lugs extending from one face of the link and carrier lugs on the other face; adjusting'chains operable horizontally over sprocket wheels below said elevatorv chains one of which sprocket wheels is journailed in close proximity to the underside of said elevator chains; and each of said adjusting chains consisting of links each having foliage engaging blades extended from one face and carrier lugs on the other face; with' means to move said chains longitudinally; and a topping-knife adjacent'said adjusting chains.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

FRANK POCOCK. 

